ReneBean

Oh Eric what a great belated Christmas present to yourself!! Congrats! Just think - soon you will have more energy to chase that pretty wife around the bed and to play with your babies. :]

Hi Janet!! Welcome to LBT. First rule? You can't ask too many questions. I also use the New Posts button - then I work my way back. When I first got on the site - I had more time, so I read it all. If you have the time, I recommend it. Get opinions from more than one person. You will find out soon enough who the negative people are. Don't completely discount them - because they have some valuable information, too - but take them with a grain of salt. You will also find that there are many on this board who are caring individuals that want to help each other and all the new band babies out there. Hugs! 22 lbs since August is GREAT!!

Hi Carol! Welcome to Band Land and Welcome to LBT! I hope you find your banding experience to be as easy and helpful as I have! Hugs!

Everybody is different. My fills tend to be tight for about 2-3 days and then ease off with the reduction in swelling. I hope this is the case for you - but if you really can't drink a Protein shake after day four - you need to get back in and have him take a little out. hugs!

Chris - Doreen WELCOME to both of you. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Let me answer the most common one right now: A PB is a productive burp. Basically - food that is not well chewed won't fit thru the opening in your pouch - so there is only one way for it to go - back the way it came. It isn't fun - and it isn't recommended - so keep on chewing. :] Welcome to both of you and good luck with your band!

I so would have gotten the band - certainly after college if nothing else - if only it had been available. Not sure who said we should all be banded at birth - but in my family - it certainly would have been helpful! 4 out of 5 women in my family weigh well over 200 lbs. 3 out of five have topped 300. Genetics & Environment working together to create MO bodies. Ick!

348 last christmas 298 now. :]

My family dubbed my husband "The pilsbury doughboy from hell" the first time they met him. (swell, aren't they?) - but I was certainly no skinny minnie - so what did I care? I didn't marry him for his looks - I married him for the sex! :] My only concern about DH's weight is for his health. But nagging doesn't work - and how well I know it. I just keep thinking good thoughts for him. With every pound I lose - he gets a little more motivated to go to the gym. **Hooray** Maybe some day, he will bend enough to consider the LapBand for himself - but again - the nagging thing doesn't work AT ALL. So, I keep thinking good thoughts.... :]

Honey - Some guys just don't feel like a man unless they are making somebody else feel like shit. Pay him no mind. Someone out there will see your worth. Keep that ad posted.

Oh Sure. NOW - AFTER the ice is all over the roads. NOW they close the office. *sigh* So, I think I will hang out here for just a bit until the bulk of the folks leave. Kat - even if not everybody is celebrating the holidays - just the sheer volume of food that is thrown at you from every direction would cause this. Office parties and Snacks, all the Holiday delicacies in the stores, and the commercials - DAMN THOSE COMMERCIALS! So - it may well be that the Holidays are affecting folks - even if they aren't celebrating. Me - I have found that if I can eat - I pretty much will. :hungry: I did have a little spazz attack right after I was banded - I waited on my "last supper syndrome" until AFTER I got the surgery. Trust me to do everything back asswards. Mary - you have fun a VS. Trust me - if they had ANYTHING that fit me - I would have my fat ass wedged into it and be struttin'. Bye! If I couldn't get the WHOLE day, at least I have a short one. :]

Hi All. Well - we didn't get enough nasty weather to allow me to stay home today. So, here I am.... Anne - congrats on the fill!! I hope it gives you the most perfect possible restriction. Take heart - the swelling only lasts for a couple of days. You will be back to solid food again in no time. Chris - same to you! Hope you get good restriction right away. The nausea is all gone, now... right? Hope you are feeling better. Sherry - good luck with your fill decision. I have pretty good restriction right now - although I wouldn't call it perfect by any stretch of the imagination, it is much closer to perfect than not. Jules - another fill virgin! oooooo. Some big bad doc is going to Pop your Port! Hope you get good restriction sooner rather than later. :] Mary - there is more to frilly underwear than just support! VS is not about support - it's about SEX and self esteem. Just knowing that you have that lacy little thing on under your work clothes will make you walk and feel much more like a sex kitten. Support is good - but it is not the only thing. Kat - the inconsistency in treatment may be a factor in all the complications - but then, I think maybe there are just people who don't have complications - but they want to know if others do, so they are polling. I know I don't have any complications at all - but I am paranoid about erosion and slippage and everything else. It kinda bugs the crap outta me that nobody knows what causes erosion. I mean, geez. There has to be a reason, a cause... whey can't they pin it down? OK - enough ranting. I have to get back to the old grind... Sigh. When is that next lottery drawing? I so want to collect my millions and go home. :]

Ivan!!! How the heck are you? So glad to hear that you and your DW are doing well. Maintenance - that's ALWAYS been the hardest part. No more excitement every morning when you scurry to the scale to see if you have lost another pound - no more commiserating over what on earth you can possibly wear... But, hey - try and concentrate on how great it feels to be able to move around like a normie - to actually LOOK like a normie and be treated as one. Stop by and see us more - even if you don't have much to say. Hugs!! :]

Happy Anniversary!! Thanks for the sage advise on the Cheetos and Ice Cream... :]

He is probably afraid - on several levels. First - the dangers of surgery and the possibility that you might not get up off the table. This is actually the easiest fear to fight. Lap Band statistics are MUCH better for your actual safety during and immediately after surgery than any other bariatric procedure. Second - he is afraid about what happens if you do lose the weight and become this happy, outgoing person. Will you lose interest in him? Will you spend all your time with your new friends and neglect him? or - the most scary of all - will you find another MAN? Now - mind you - he probably doesn't even consciously KNOW that this is why he is frightened - but it is. I combatted those fears by giving my husband some extra lovin' every time I talked about the surgery. "Honey, I am so glad you are behind me on this. I know I will succeed with you helping me..." And of course - lots of sex is helpful, too. I wish you the best of luck. I would also advise that you DO talk to someone - both now and during the process of losing the weight - because weightloss really shouldn't be the main basis on which you judge your own worthiness to be seen or to have friends. Perhaps a little counselling will help you through the process - and hey, you can always take your DH along for that, too. Hugs & Good Luck!

Congrats, Doriana! Now is no time to keep a stiff upper lip. Take your pain meds - whatever your doc has prescribed, or lots of tylenol. Pain is bad. Oh - and I am with Pat - I can't stand coffee without milk. I did it right away and had no problems. Good luck!

Well - I topped the scales at 367 - not a pretty sight for a 5' 5" chick. I am not holding my breath for my arms or abdomen to EVER shrink down to what would look normal. My thighs either, for that matter. But, I think it all depends. If you don't have any stretch marks - you have a chance. If you are young (and you are) you have a good chance. I guess the only thing you can do is hope, exercise a lot, drink Water til you float and start saving for PS. :]

yeah - for the first couple of days you may want to sleep sitting up or in a recliner only partially reclined, anyway. Up and Down are difficult for the first couple of days. You really don't have any idea how much you use those abdominal muscles until you try to lie down without them. That partially upright sleeping should take care of any possible choking issues that might occur immediately after surgery. :]

Yeah - they drew a line on mine where the little bead was supposed to rise to... After a day or so I was able to put the bead where it needed to be and I haven't had any problems since. Good luck!

Hey Cloe - Dumping is essentially explosive diarrhea. ICK.

Go Fill Girls!! Each fill makes it that much easier to do the Band Thang. Hugs!!

How tall are you? Even at my heaviest - like in the 360's - I could wedge my butt into the seat and nobody ever tried to get me to buy another one. I am 5.5 If you are a little taller - you should be ok. It won't be comfy - but you can probably survive it. Good luck!

I used Dr Fox at the Richardson Surgery Center - maybe a bit of a drive for you, though I feel he is worth it. good luck with Blue Cross. I am glad to hear they are taking a more Enlightened approach to banding in 2007. You let me know if you have any trouble with them. :]

I think the real question is: What are you more afraid of? The possibility of the occassional PB - or being fat for the rest of your life? I was scared, too. I REALLY don't like throwing up - and that is essentially what a PB means - you pop the food back out through your mouth. I have never had any sensation of choking, if that helps. AND, I have only ever had one PB in almost 10 mos - so hopefully, that will take some of the fear out of it for you. Keep reading, keep thinking. Look at the before and after pages. Look in the complications forum. Read everything. Nobody will hold a gun to your head to make you have the surgery.... I, personally, think it is the best thing since sliced bread - but hey, that's just me. Good luck in your research and your decision. No matter what you decide, it will be the right decision for you. :]

Hey All - Another exotic and exciting day in Mortgage Lending.... Let's see - where to begin? Eileenie - if you are well enough - perhaps we can meet for lunch next week. I will be in town on Wed afternoon and thru the full work day on Friday. Thursday or Friday work for you? Mandy - Ah - love that kid - but isn't it nice when she goes to school? :] Chris - You're easy (at least on the Humor scale) Anne - you are so right about my lucky man. I remind him frequently. :] I love that Barbie thing, too. It's hysterical! (and all too true) Kat - I love the Black and White classic look. And Aw Shucks - you are too skinny to wear my party dress! I bet you are truly heartbroken over that.... lol! (anybody else? It will fit a pear between like 16 & 22) Betty - oh sure. Now I am going to have to fess up that I haven't made it back to the gym, STILL. *sigh*. Laziness, thy name is Irene. I suppose that if we both won the "big" lottery at the same time, I could survive sharing with you, Betty. Agreed? I think 200 million would probably split well between the two of us. :] Mary - wow! Your town has all those cool winter activities! We don't handle winter at all well here in Dallas. The city literally shuts down if we get more than an inch of snow. Employers let us use sick or vacation time to cover the absences.... I used to laugh when I first got here - until I started seeing the accidents on the roads. ***ICK*** But, I personally think a little White Christmas action is a good thing - ESPECIALLY since I will probably get to stay home! Cindy - cool about the Walmart Custom CD thing. I might have to do that, too. I have the same problem with only liking a few songs. The older I get, the more particular I become.... I think they haven't published any good whole albums since the 80's... LOL! Patty - HI!!!! So glad to see you. So, when is the time estimate to hear back on the appeal docs? Did they JUST submit? I remember this waiting between appeals to be particularly trying for me. I got pretty antsy. One thing I did was call once a week to "follow up" on the process. At least I knew right away that "they never recieved the paperwork". I would not rely on the Attorney's office... follow up yourself. You will feel better about having taken some action. At least, I did. Dianne - NOT wear a BRA??!?! - That's just Crazy Talk.... :] Seriously - unless you are going to drop down to a B cup - you probably will always want to wear one - but at least if you are a C or a D you will be able to FIND one that fits - any time, anywhere. Yep. A trip to VS is on my list of NSV's for the future. I REALLY want to be able to go in there and not have those supermodel chicklets that they always seem to hire LAUGH when I come in. Hurry back and give us all the news! Well my dears - I am past my lunch hour, again. I have to get back to the old grind and keep on top of the pile - cause if the weather is crappy - I WON'T BE HERE. :] I really hope it snows - HARD. Or better yet - freezing rain. :]

Diabetes isn't that awful - if you maintain the diet & exercise.... If your Moron doesn't direct you to, you should take some diabetes education. Most hospitals offer it on a regular basis. The good news is that the diet and exercise recommended fall right in line with what a bandster should eat and do. The only difference is that you will have to test your sugar levesl regularly. I know that for my husband and I, the diagnosis was a huge relief - since he had been having these god awful mood swings and it was causing constant fighting between us. Once he got on the meds and started the diet/exercise thing - it was like a second honeymoon. Hugs! I know you will be ok.